The Only Public Speaking Advice You'll Ever Need, Plus More Professional and Personal Tips from The Five's Dana Perino

We want a sip gulp of whatever career juice Dana Perino is drinking: By the age of 35, she climbed her way to become the first (and only, so far) female Republican White House press secretary, has launched and run her own strategic communications firm, and now sits as a cohost on Fox News' The Five. Enter And the Good News Is..., Perino's first book that reads part memoir, part professional guidebook, part life advice for women at any age or point in their careers. We've already soaked up her top strategies to be taken seriously at work, and now, she's here to share her best tips and tricks for mastering public speaking, taking risks in work and life, and more invaluable topics. Read on, take notes, and get to work. From being on the speech team in college to working as White House press secretary under President W. Bush to now appearing on Fox News' The Five, it's safe to say you know a thing or two about public speaking. What are your top tips for the rest of us? Dana Perino: A lot of people think that public speaking means that you are standing at a podium giving

We want a sip gulp of whatever career juice Dana Perino is drinking: By the age of 35, she climbed her way to become the first (and only, so far) female Republican White House press secretary, has launched and run her own strategic communications firm, and now sits as a cohost on Fox News' The Five.

Enter And the Good News Is..., Perino's first book that reads part memoir, part professional guidebook, part life advice for women at any age or point in their careers. We've already soaked up her top strategies to be taken seriously at work, and now, she's here to share her best tips and tricks for mastering public speaking, taking risks in work and life, and more invaluable topics. Read on, take notes, and get to work.

From being on the speech team in college to working as White House press secretary under President W. Bush to now appearing on Fox News' The Five, it's safe to say you know a thing or two about public speaking. What are your top tips for the rest of us?

Dana Perino: A lot of people think that public speaking means that you are standing at a podium giving a speech, but public speaking comes in lots of different formats. These would be my most important things: Number one, find your strong voice. It gives you confidence and it encourages your audience to keep listening. One of the tips I talk about in the book is to try and get young people to stop talking in up-talk, which is where everything at the end of the sentence sounds like a question. Once you break someone of the habit of up-talking, they can start to see immediate improvement in their careers.

Another thing I would say is I've found that knowing the material or the policy or the facts better than anyone else in the room is so empowering—and that means fully understanding them. It's not good enough to just know what to say about the policy; it's really important to take the extra step to learn the policy, to be able to understand it, and articulate it.

And the third thing I use is something I call my "sister test." When I was a press secretary, if I was facing a particularly tough briefing the next day or we were going to be explaining a complex policy, I would call my sister. And I would say, "hey, what do you think about this?" I wouldn't tell her that I was practicing on her, I would just do it. And if my sister said, "what are you talking about?" I knew that I had more work to do. So whether it is a sister or a friend or your mom, I think it is useful to see if what you are trying to communicate is actually effective.

What about people who suffer from a fear or anxiety of public speaking—how can they channel that nervous energy into a positive performance?

DP: Believe it or not, the number one fear in America remains public speaking. And, in some ways, I think that is a real shame because we are so blessed to live in a country where we are able to express ourselves, so we should want to do that. My speech coach in college gave me this advice; she said, "It's OK to have butterflies, you just have to make them fly in formation." So, if you have a crippling fear of public speaking, recognize that that is perfectly normal. And, number two, know that the only way to get over those nerves is to fully understand the material, the points, the policy you are trying to explain—and then practice it a little bit. Also, just recognize that you are not going to become a comfortable public speaker overnight. It can take a long time, but once you recognize that it is normal to feel those butterflies, you will be in good shape.

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The subtitle of your book is Lessons and Advice From the Bright Side. How do you keep a positive attitude in work and life, especially when confronted with particularly stressful situations?

DP: I'm a worrier by nature. My husband says that if I'm not worried about something, I'm worried about what I've forgotten to be worried about. I think a lot of women, especially ones that want to achieve career goals, tend to worry. I don't want anyone to worry their life away—time goes by so fast and worry is really wasted time and energy. President Bush once asked me when I was worried about something, "what's the worst that can happen?" And it's become a mantra of mine, even to this day. I've tried not to dwell on little things or complain about the everyday problems that we have to deal with, and that has freed me up to focus on bigger and more important issues.

__We're constantly hearing how it's all about "who you know"...what are your best tips for building a strong network, without seeming opportunistic? __

DP: I hear a lot of young people talking about the need to network. I think that is true, and I think that building a network makes sense. But I also think that there is another way to approach it, and that is to try to make friends. Just try to make a lot of friends. Why not go to the Chamber of Commerce breakfast because you might meet a new friend, not because you might meet a contact who might be able to help you get a promotion or a different job? The other thing I suggest is that people make an effort to reach out to five people a month. Not just by Facebook or email or Twitter. I'm talking hard-copy note.

You've taken a lot of risks throughout your career and personal life, and many of them have paid off. How do you assess when a leap is worth taking?

DP: Part of it is a leap of faith. Another part of it is weighing the pros and cons. I'm a big list person. But another piece of advice is I've been able to take a lot of risks because Peter [my husband] has supported me. I know this can't necessarily be possible for every young person, but choosing to be loved and to take the leap to get married younger than most of my friends was not a career-limiting decision for me. I don't like it when I hear from young people and they are in a long-distance relationship and neither of them wants to move because they both have good career opportunities where they are. I think that having love in your life does open up doors and other possibilities.

You write in the book about how your favorite piece of advice you've ever received is to "put on your big-girl panties and do it." Why?

I feel like it is applicable to so many situations. If I get nervous about having to go negotiate or bring up an unpleasant situation with a colleague or family member, I remember that advice. Most women beat themselves up because they think they are not good enough at anything. All of those things just eat at you all the time. If young women could take this tip and apply it to their lives, that would mean they would be happier and more successful—and that's my goal. May they be joyously content, as well.